The Plain Of Ice
by Alrynnas
Summary: A Hitsugaya one-shot based off his special chapter in the manga the one dealing with when he decided to become a Shinigami . Hitsugaya/OC.


_**The Plain Of Ice  
**_

A plain of ice. The presence of it... Cold and unforgiving. A single voice on the lashing wind. An echoing voice. Crushing... Engulfing... Resounding into the distance... It was just like thunder. Opening his eyes, Toushiro sat upright. Like a delicate flower, it would brush against his hand. Raising a hand, the young boy ran a hand through his white hair.

On that plain of ice...he dies.

First District in the West Rukongai, Junrin'an. It was not the worst of places to grow up, definitely better than the larger numbers, but for Toushiro, it was not all that great. He knew everyone around there was afraid of him. Maybe it was his white hair...or his blue-green eyes...or maybe even just the cold way he acted, but everyone would say that he was just like ice. Jumping from the roof, the young boy landed softly, his dark kimono caught in the breeze for a moment.

There were only two people he knew that never called him that, though: his Granny and a friend, Hinamori. However, now it was just Granny since Hinamori had left only a couple weeks ago to train at the Shinigami Academy. The other friends she had known, people that would put up with Toushiro's company for a few moments when she was around, made sure to stay clear of Toushiro now that she was gone. It was just one less thing he had to worry about, at least.

"Granny! I'm going out for a bit! I'll be back in time for dinner!" Popping his head around the entrance to his house, he waved quickly to his Granny. She continued to sit there calmly, nodding slightly to show she heard. Without even putting on a pair of sandals, he was off.

Recently, he had taken to heading past the borders of the Rukongai. To see what was out there...and to have a few moments to himself where no one would treat him oddly. Though there were dangers beyond the borders, he did not care. He would rather come face-to-face with the Hollows rather than dealing with the people of Junrin'an.

An echoing voice...

Sighing, Toushiro placed his hands behind his head as he walked along. Even though it was summer, the weather of the day felt more like spring than anything else. A cool breeze rolled across the land. He was certainly not complaining since he was not one for the heat of summer. He could not explain it, but he disliked the summer, preferring the coolness that came with the other seasons.

"What are you doing? It's not safe out here..." came a voice on the wind. Blinking, Toushiro looked over to where the voice had come from. In the shadows of a small cluster of trees, he could see a figure standing.

"What the?" mumbled the young boy, scratching his shoulder. He raised a hand to his mouth and shouted out, "Then what are _you_ doing here if it's..." His voice trailed off as the figure walked forward into the light. The person was only a young-looking girl. At first glance, Toushiro assumed that she was around his age, if not younger. But then, he reminded himself that looks could not tell a person's age alone when in Soul Society. "So...dangerous..."

His arms falling back to his sides, he studied for a moment as she headed out meekly. Her deep-blue kimono had designs of white bamboo shoots scattered across it, swaying in the soft breeze. Her hair, the deep shade of green like that of grass after a heavy rain, rolled down her back, and her bangs completely covered her right eye while they threatened to cover her left. Like him, she did not wear any sandals on the soft ground.

"I'm used to it out here..." she answered, holding her hands together as she stopped in the field. "I come here often enough, after all... What about you?"

Toushiro shrugged it off and glanced away. "I needed a break from the people in the Rukongai."

"What's your name?" she asked softly.

Blinking, he looked back over to her. Now he could also pick out the green of her eyes. Seeing them reminded him even more of the spring. Such a shame it was the summer. "Hitsugaya...Toushiro," he answered before glancing away again.

"Toushiro..." she murmured. "It's cool! With your hair, you really do seem like the winter."

He bristled slightly, his expression becoming heated. Like the winter... In the winter, there was ice. Once again, someone else was saying he was like ice. Meeting someone out here...he had hoped she would be different.

"I've always enjoyed the winter..." she continued. That caught him unaware. Surprised, he glanced back over to the young girl. "Quiet and cool...snow blanketing the land...ice glinting in the light... I've always enjoyed the winter."

A plain of ice...

"Really...?" he asked back softly. Coming from her...it did not sound so bad to be compared to ice. A smile flashed across her face for a second as she nodded. "What's your name?"

"Shizuko. Shizuko San."

San... He would not forget her name, nor their first meeting.

:::

A few months had passed now since he met San. On days when he did not have much to do, he would go back outside the border of the Rukongai in hopes of getting to see the green-haired San. Not once did she seem afraid of him, or ever acted like he was too cold. Only now and then did she make references to how he was like the winter, but he had grown to enjoy it...though he still tried to hide that from her.

One day, he went shopping for some ama-natto, since they were running low. He kept his eyes cast down, not having any desire to deal with the stares people would give him. At the very least, he was still able to navigate around easily enough, even as he kept his gaze down.

On that day, however, something made him raise his gaze. The noise of shouting had met his ears. Not as though it was anything uncommon in Junrin'an, to hear people shouting, these shouts were coming from a group of young boys. Off to the side of the street, five boys were clustered around something. The other people that were walking past did not even spare a second glance, making Toushiro even more curious as to what was going on. When he got closer, he saw what that something was...

The tallest of the boys there had a near death-like grip on San's hair.

Something snapped within Toushiro when he saw this. He did not hear what they were doing to her, all he saw was the pain across San's face as she tried to pull away. That was enough to send him rushing over and punching the boy that had the grip on her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted as he shoved the next boy that was closest to San away. Clenching his hands tight, he stood protectively in front of his green-haired friend.

"You bastard...!" coughed out the first boy Toushiro had hit. The dark-haired lad wiped away the blood that had dribbled down from his now-cut lip. "This just proves how much of a freak you are!"

Toushiro glared heatedly at the man. "So being a freak now includes helping someone who's getting hurt?"

The boy sneered down at him. "But she's not like the rest of us! She's a bloody Recaller!"

That made Toushiro freeze for a moment. _A...Recaller?_ wondered the white-haired boy. He looked over his shoulder at San, who had since stood up. She kept her gaze cast down. Was San really a Recaller? Quickly, he reached out and took her hand firmly in his.

"So? Just because someone's different...that's no reason to pick on them!" Without waiting for a response, he kicked up dirt from the road into the eyes of the boys, and, after shoving some more to the side, dashed off down the street, San in tow behind him. Not waiting to see if those boys were after them, he continued to run. People gave them odd looks, but otherwise left the two alone. Only once Toushiro was certain that the group of boys and anyone else who may have overheard the commotion was far behind did he take a sharp turn down an alley and stop.

Quickly, he let go of San's hand. As he regained his breathing, the white-haired boy turned his back to his friend. Silence hung between them for a long time, and he heard her sit down. A hand on the wall of the building next to them was all that kept him from sitting, as well.

"You say you can handle yourself...so why didn't you do something to those boys?" he asked back in anger. His anger was not directed at her, per say, but he just could not hold it back any more. "Why did you let them pick on you?"

She did not flinch once at his tone. "That would have done nothing good."

"Nothing good?" He spun around to face her. Green bangs shadowed her expression from him. "They would have left you alone!"

"It still wouldn't help... Though I didn't do anything to them...they're still afraid of me...still scared." San sighed and looked up to him, her look filled with sorrow. "If I fought back...they'd only become more scared. Nothing good would come from that... All because they don't understand."

Toushiro glanced away quickly. Like him, people seemed to be scared of San, as well. "So...you really are a Recaller?"

Her gaze broke from his after he said that. "You...you're afraid of them, too?" A Recaller. Someone who was able to remember everything from when they were alive. Often times, when a spirit first comes to Soul Society, they would remember maybe a few bits from their old lives, but soon those memories would fade away. But for a Recaller...not only did they remember everything from when they were alive, but those memories did not fade away. Being different from the other spirits, they were treated like trash.

"I can't say," sighed Toushiro, scratching his shoulder absent-mindedly. "Never met a Recaller other than you."

A cold laugh escaped her for a second. "I see..." Rising, she dusted off her legs. "Better reaction than I would have thought for..."

"What's it like...to be able to be able to remember?" he asked after a few moments.

"It's...painful, in a way... Remembering what you once had...I wish I could forget." She shook her head after a second and forced a smile across her face. "But, enough of that. It's not something I can change. If people are afraid of me before they get to know me...then I feel sorry for them."

From that day on, Toushiro had a new level of respect and admiration for San. Despite having the stigma of being a Recaller, she was still able to hold her own. Though, now he understood why she enjoyed her time outside of the Rukongai so much. Not only were there more plants outside the Rukongai (which she explained as her reason for being outside it), but, like he had done when they first met, she was also given an escape from those that looked down upon her.

"C'mon..." He held out a hand to her. There were still some things he had to take care of for the day. "Let's go."

At the very least now, he no longer felt so alone.

:::

"I'm...going to go train as a Shinigami," explained Toushiro, averting his gaze. Five years had now passed since Hinamori first left to go to the Shinigami Academy and since he had first met San. For as long as he could remember, he swore to himself that he would never become a Shinigami. But, the other day, those plans had to change. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes had come across him in Junrin'an, and, after nearly giving him a concussion, explained to him that he needed to become a Shinigami. His reiatsu, his spirit force, was out of control. He did not want to go, but he did not want to see his Granny hurt any more by his ignorance either.

Over the past five years, Hinamori had visited less now that she had a goal, San had grown up some while he remained much the same, and his Granny had gotten much, much thinner. Her bad health now had been caused by his reiatsu that the woman said he was leaking. As much as he hated Shinigami, as often as he had silently vowed to himself that he would never become one, to make his Granny better again, he would swallow his pride and train to become one. His Granny had given him her blessing on the matter, now he just needed one other person's consent of it.

"I thought you hated Shinigami." San raised an eyebrow slightly in question. She did not sound angry at his decision, at least, just surprised. Quickly, he explained what had happened the other day, and how doing this would supposedly help his Granny. "Well...if you've made up your mind, then what are you waiting for?" A soft smile flashed across her face. Only with knowing her for the past five years now was he able to catch what was truly hidden behind that smile: sadness. "I'm sure you'll be great."

"Shizuko, why don't you come to the Academy with me? You also get hungry in Soul Society, so you must have some reiatsu, too!" he blurted out the idea before fully analysing it.

San looked to him with even more surprise visible on her face that was not masked by her hair. "The Shinigami Academy? I...wouldn't be any good there!" she explained, seeming flustered.

"You won't know until you try." He had to hide his own surprise at his words. "But...it is your own choice..." Standing, he tapped his sandal-covered foot to the ground. A cool breeze swept across the land. The truth was...if he went to go train at the Academy, he knew he would come to miss her.

_I can hear a voice..._

"Maybe...someday..." she murmured, rising. "I'll try for the Academy...but not today. This is your time."

He gave a weak smile and nod to her. "Look after Granny for me, will you?" In the past five years, San had also pretty much become part of his family. Though, despite that, she had not met Hinamori that many times. Raising a hand, he gave his farewell wave to his friend.

_Far...near...I can hear it resounding..._

Putting one foot in front of the other, he started back for the Rukongai and the path that would lead towards Seireitei. Now, his new life would begin. Even with his life here not being the greatest, he did not fully want to leave it behind.

"W-wait!" blurted out San. Her feet rustled in the grass as she dashed over to him. He stopped in his tracks when he felt his hand in hers. Even just her touch reminded him of a pleasant spring day. Since meeting her, it had no longer been winter all year around for him. That winter was slowly thawing out into an early spring. "Please...have this..." Something cool was pressed into his hand.

_I have decided to search..._

Bringing it up, he saw a silver chain dangling out, and on that chain was a jade leaf. He had seen San wearing the necklace often enough, but he never brought himself to asking her about it. All he had decided was that it fit her very well. "But...this is... Isn't this important to you?"

One of her sad smiles parted her lips as she tilted her head to the side. "Consider it...a promise...all right?" She reached out and closed his hand around the necklace. "Take care of it for me. And then..." Her hands tightened around his slightly. Such warmth. "When you're a Shinigami...and I come to train and hopefully become one...you can give it back."

_I need to find it, and move onward..._

Nodding, he clasped tightly onto the necklace. A promise... One that he would see to that it was kept. "I'll make sure to take care of it for you...until that day..." It was his turn to give one of the sad smiles he had seen San wear on her own face.

Without any warning, San moved in and kissed him on the cheek. A light laugh escaped her lips as she pulled back, her cheeks showing a hint of blush. Though, Toushiro was certain, so did his. Within a moment, her hands slipped from his as she danced back a few feet. Now, the sadness was gone from her smile, at least for a moment. "Take care, Hitsugaya..."

_Even if I should die on this plain of ice..._


End file.
